Discover The St. Regis Rome

The hotel's ballroom was the first public ballroom in Rome. It was designed by the Roman architect Giulio Podesti (1857–1909) in 1890 and opened by César Ritz in 1894 — and it still has its original frescoes, marbled walls and chandeliers across 276 square metres.

Ritz also built the lift, and it has a registration number. The hotel states that its elevator was designed and built by César Ritz and registered as the thirteenth modern elevator of the era in Rome. It was called a "rising room" at the time. The same shell is still running, re-equipped with current technology.

It sits on top of a Roman district the hotel takes seriously as a subject. Its own virtual-reality commission, "The Evolution of a District", is about the Baths of Diocletian — the area where the largest Roman bath complex in the world was built, later laid out as an elegant quarter for the new elite of the capital of Italy.

And it has a permanent contemporary gallery, which is unusual for a hotel. In January 2020, on its own thirtieth anniversary, Galleria Continua opened a permanent exhibition space here, inaugurated with four site-specific installations by Loris Cecchini — on the occasion of the unveiling of a meticulous full restoration of the hotel.

The house itself: 132 guest rooms and 29 suites. Lumen, the all-day Italian restaurant, runs 7.00 to 00.30 every day. The spa is The St. Regis Rome Spa, Sisley Paris, 9.00 to 21.00 daily by appointment. The fitness centre is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is complimentary.

It is a Belle Époque hotel, and the ballroom is the architecture. Giulio Podesti (1857–1909) designed it in 1890 as a single clear volume of 276 square metres, with adjoining rooms for additional space and what the hotel calls perfect acoustics — a hall conceived as a hall, not a subdivided floor.

The decorative scheme is original and specific. Original frescoes, marbled walls and magnificent chandeliers: a plaster-and-paint interior rather than a carved one, which is what the 1890s produced at this scale and why the room reads as light rather than heavy.

Capacity is the design brief, legible in the plan. 450 standing or 300 seated in one room tells you the proportions before you see them — a span wide enough to need no intermediate support, which is the whole point of a ballroom.

The vertical circulation is itself a period piece. The lift was designed and built by César Ritz and registered as the thirteenth modern elevator of the era in Rome. A hotel of this date with a working original car is a rarity; the shell is the original, with the mechanism replaced.

And the guest floors keep the building's proportions. 132 rooms and 29 suites with beautiful proportions — the by-product of nineteenth-century floor-to-ceiling heights rather than a design decision.

It was designed first and opened four years later, and both dates are on the record. Giulio Podesti designed the ballroom in 1890; César Ritz opened it in 1894. Four years between drawing and opening is a normal span for a hall of this kind, and it is unusual to have both ends of it stated.

The quarter was made before the building was. The district had been laid out as an elegant district for the new elite of the capital of Italy, over the ground where the largest Roman bath complex in the world had stood. The hotel was built into a new quarter, not into an old street.

Ritz built the machinery as well as opening the doors. The lift was designed and built by César Ritz and registered as the thirteenth modern elevator of the era in the city — a hotelier doing his own engineering, which is why it carries a registration rather than a supplier's plate.

The decoration has never been replaced, only conserved. The frescoes and marbled walls in the ballroom are described as original.

And the building was comprehensively restored in the recent past. The meticulous full restoration was unveiled at the moment Galleria Continua opened its permanent space here in January 2020 — the two events were presented together.

How old is the hotel? Its ballroom was designed in 1890 by the Roman architect Giulio Podesti (1857–1909) and opened by César Ritz in 1894, as the first public ballroom of Rome.

What is special about the lift? It was designed and built by César Ritz and registered as the thirteenth modern elevator of the era in Rome. It was called a "rising room" then, and the same shell is still operating with current technology inside it.

How many rooms are there? 132 guest rooms and 29 suites. Earlier versions of this page said 138 and 23; both figures were wrong.

What are the restaurant hours? Lumen is open every day 7.00–00.30, dress code smart casual.

Can I eat in the garden? No. Lumen Garden is seasonal, May to September, and available only for private receptions. This page previously implied it was a second restaurant; it is not.

Is there a spa, and what is it called? The St. Regis Rome Spa, Sisley Paris — every day 9.00–21.00, appointment required. There is no "Kami Wellness Centre"; that name appeared on this page in error.

Is the gym included? Yes — complimentary, and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with Technogym equipment and sauna rooms.

How much is a room? We do not quote a rate. The hotel's rate page is not fetchable, and a figure we cannot verify is worse than none. Check direct with the hotel.

How big is the ballroom? 276 square metres, holding 450 guests for a reception or up to 300 seated, with adjoining rooms for additional space.

Is there art in the hotel? Yes, permanently. Galleria Continua opened a permanent exhibition space here in January 2020, inaugurated with four site-specific installations by Loris Cecchini.

What can I do here without a reservation? Realistically, Lumen — it is open from 7.00 to 00.30 every day. The ballroom is a venue for hire, the garden is private, and the spa needs an appointment.